Certain kinds of cheese are moulded to form loaves which are subjected to a careful conditioning method comprising storage in a carefully controlled environment and a repeated reversal of position by turning the loaves upside down.
It is the object of our invention to provide improved means for performance of this treatment and, more particularly, to provide an apparatus capable of storing cheese loaves and of periodically turning them upside down within a very limited space, such apparatus being simple and reliable in operation and requiring a minimum of floor space for a high capacity.
It is another object of our invention to provide air conditioning means for the cheese storing system ensuring the continuous supply of conditioned air to the loaves of cheese subjecting the same to uniform temperature and moisture conditions conducive to a uniform attainment of maturity.
We attain these objects by the provision of an array of adjacent units, each unit constituting a multiplicity of horizontal open-ended guideways in superimposed and juxtaposed relationship. Each guideway accommodates a multiplicity of adjacent horizontal boards which support the loaf or loaves of cheese. A horizontal supply conveyor extends transversely to said guideways in front of their open ends for conveying a loaf-carrying board into registry with a selected one of the guideways. After the board has reched its selected position, a pushing device mounted in adjacent relationship to the conveyor pushes the board therefrom and into the selected guideway. As a result, this board will push the entire row of horizontal boards in the selected guideway one step whereby the last one of the boards is discharged from the rear end of the guideway and is received by a horizontal discharge conveyor and conveyed to transporting means which move the board through an overturning station back to the supply conveyor whereby the loaf of cheese turned upside down is returned to storage in the same or in another selected guideway. Preferably, the walls separating adjacent units constitute passageways for the supply and discharge of air to the guideways accommodating the loaves of cheese.